The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-19
year God only knows. And I would

year God only knows. And I would
! like to ask you in this crisis Of time, what
is your preparation for eternity: You are
not surprised at the man on the North River
steamboat who. when Christian man gave
him a tract, was very indignant and tore it
up and threw it into the river; but one
| word of that tract fell upon his coat
| of the tract had flown, and it was that
one word, that broad word, that high
word, that deep word. that long word, "eter-
nityr' "Call it backr' said a dying woman,
'call it back" "Why," they said, what do
you want to come back" 'Oh." she said,
''call it back-time! time cal it back!" We
may lose our fortunes and may gain them
have it restored again. We may lose
our good name and by life of virtue
subsequently may restore our good name;
but time gone is gone forever. Now. some
people say they would like to 60 back again
to boyhood and live their life over again
would not dare to 60 back to boyhood as l
am afraid I would do worse than have
done. You, my brother, could not afford to go
back to boyhood: you might do worse than
you have done But we cannot 60 back. The
future is before u.s. AID I congratulate you,
oh. people Of God, congratulate you that
another year has gone. What does it mean!
i
Fathers house; it means that you are nearer
the companionshin of loved ones who have
gone before. Why should you be sad
about that! When I tell you that your
face ought to be ilumined with great
joy Why how strange it is. this fact that
ity when there is much brighter world
ahead, and we onght to be glad that we have
got nearer it. Why not go to the centre
Why stay clear out here on the rim OF the
universe! Why not glad we are goin {; nearer
to the centrel We study God here only
by Bible photograph. But you know that
in FIVE minutes of interview you get better
iittv years or looking at Photographs; ana
the little babe that die dlast night, six months
old, this moment knows more of God than
all Andover, all Princeton, all Rochester,
all Middletown and all Edinqurgh.
all the theological institutions OF
earth. But here we want to stay on
the outside, on the rim of this great uni.
verse, and when we get little sick we are
frightened. and we are alarmed about this
accident and that accident, lest suddenly we
be hurled into light and glory unutterable;
and we go around asking what is good for
rheumatism, and what is good for bad
cough. and hat is good for this and that,
we get sick we call in the doctor
in wild haste, lest we be rushed into
land where they are never sick, but have i'm.
mortal health. And here we hold on to the
circumference, afraid to go TO the centre,
while we look through the cracks and the
keyhole of heaven, afraid the door of the
mansion will be swung wide open and we
will stand in the glory the infinite. Hang
ing on to the pauperism of sin and
sorrow of this world and afraid that some
time suddenly we will have presented to US
an Emperor's pala"e surrounded by parks
and beautiful paths on which the angels Of
God walk two and two. Would it not be
awful if we were suddenly to get a crown, a
throne and triumph' Sorry another year
God has provided for His speople. We are Ikea
the National Picture Gallery, London, uader
umbrellas in the rain, and you come along
and say: why don't you 20 into the pic
ture gallery7" They say: owe don't know
whether we can get in" You say: "ILe
door is OPEN YES" they say. "it Is open,
but we have been staying here while and
we have got so attached to these cold steps
we propose to stay here" You say:
"You ought to go in, it is so grand and beau
tiful inside" They say: "No, we know Just
how it is out here, and we don't know how
it is in there" That is you and that is me.
Clinging on to this life as though it were all:
forgetful OF the fact that the great picture
gallery, Uu6 SEcdU Ou0 lOohL, lA0
great grandeur and glory are all ahead.
In the year 1885,. the French thought in
Ghent they would have musical demonstra-
ton such as the world had never seen. and
it was made up of the chime Of bells and dis
charge of cannon. 1t was grand and glori-
GUS success nothing ever, perhaps, like It
heard on earth. 1t was triumphal march
that has become a matter Of history.
When the cannon were fired and when the
bells of all the churches and all the towers
rang the effect was overwhelming. But
grander will be the accompar cement of Gods
children when they go out OF this world at
the blast of the Judgment trumpet, and when
God shall call them home the bells of the
churches and all the towers and all the
light houses will chime and the sound will be
joined by the booming of bursting magazine
and fortress AMI augmented by all the cathe-
dral towers of Heaven. The harmonious celes-
tial and the harmonious terrestrial united IN
one great march fit to celebrate the ascent OF
a soul to where it shall shine as the stars for
ever and forever. With such considerations
we may look back upon the flying years with
out single regret, and with evultation for
ward to the time when the archangel, with
one foot on the sea and the other on the land,
shall swear by Him that liveth forever and
ever that time shall be no longer.